Skinny Caffe said it did not believe Lucy had implied that she had used its products while pregnant.

Lucy concurred with Skinny Caffe’s comments but acknowledged the text contained in her message had been provided by the brand.

The ASA said it had investigated the matter after receiving 25 complaints from the public.

Unsafe act

Lucy rose to fame via a succession of reality TV series, including Signed by Katie Price, Ex on the Beach, and Celebrity Big Brother.

She uploaded the offending post on 5 May.

It showed the glamour model sitting by a table wearing underwear and socks, cradling a mug next to the products.

The ASA noted that although this post did not refer to her pregnancy, comments under many of her other Instagram posts did. Moreover, it said that her pregnancy had been widely covered in the press.

In light of this, the regulator said her fans might take the text’s claim that she had used the products to stay “in shape” to imply she had consumed them recently. And, it added, this could encourage other mothers-to-be to do likewise.

Image copyrightJemma Lucy

Image caption
The banned Instagram post was not clearly identified as an ad, as required by the ASA

The ASA noted that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence does not recommend dieting during pregnancy as it can harm the health of the unborn child.

“We concluded that the ad encouraged an unsafe practice and was irresponsible,” the watchdog concluded.

It also highlighted the fact that the text also claimed the products featured could help users “lose up to 7lbs [3.2kg] in seven days”.

According to the regulator, any health claims that refer to specific amounts of weight loss are not permitted in ads.

The ASA does not have the power to penalise people who break its rules, but it can ask platforms to remove them.

In serious instances, the authority can also refer incidents to Trading Standards, which does have the power to impose fines and prosecute offenders.